Sofia staff members visited Newcastle University this week to observe and review final presentations from MSc students, in an academic event that marks the end of a year-long immersive live project. Sofia has lead this module in partnership with senior lecturers working through School X, the home of Newcastle University’s interdisciplinary studies, and directly supported students through their projects for the second year running.
Students on the MSc course for Leadership in Climate Change and Sustainability have spent this semester working on groups on bespoke live projects, aimed at tackling some of the most pressing issues that the industry faces today. Sofia staff worked together to design the brief each year, reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of this innovative MSc. Students received supervision and guidance from staff members of the Sofia team, who have worked directly with the students, giving them an opportunity to understand the realities of working life, and the inner workings of a major international energy and engineering company.
Over the last five years, RWE staff on the Sofia project have been working with Newcastle University on a range of educational engagement initiatives. The two parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in 2023.
The reason for the collaboration has been to raise awareness among students of the wealth of opportunities available in the offshore wind and renewable energy sectors.
This has been achieved by embedding activities at all different scales, such as guest lectures, attendance at careers fairs, support with work experience placements and site-visits to the supply chain businesses delivering different component parts of the Sofia project.
Abby Reeds, Learning Partnerships Manager in the Faculty of Science, Agriculture and Engineering (SAgE), Newcastle University, said:
“Over the last five years, RWE has interacted with 1,500 or more of our students on activities like this. I would encourage any industry that's wanting to raise visibility amongst young people to get involved with its universities and colleges, because young people are keen, young people are motivated, and most just need that open door to push on and a bit of information to help them take that first step. The education providers can help you with the methods and the opportunities that align to the students and the young people that you're trying to reach. Our students get a great benefit from the working relationship we've had with RWE.”
Under the MoU between SAgE and RWE’s Sofia project, students have received mentoring from Sofia staff, a number of guest workshops and lectures, one-to-one interactions, and real insight into the skills and attributes that are sought after by employers. There have also been academic challenges, such as our engineering sprint challenges, and two immersive live projects delivered as part of the assessed work on the MSc Climate Leadership programme.
Sofia Stakeholder and Skills Manager, Poppy Tremayne said: “The MSc programme has been a personal highlight for me the past year. The richness has come from the collaborative aspect of it, working with both the students and the academic staff, also working so closely in collaboration with both the learning partnership team and other colleagues at RWE as part of that venture. We’ve demonstrated accessible role-modelling for the students, made ourselves available to them, and I feel that’s one of the strengths of the outstanding industry-education partnership between Sofia and Newcastle.”
The success of the MoU can be measured in many ways, but the team at RWE is most proud to have learned that students at Newcastle have gone into the offshore wind and the renewable energy industries on the back of experiences they've had with Sofia and RWE. Importantly, they are from a range of academic disciplines, such as engineering programs, marine science and arts, who have encountered the subject through our activities.
Sofia STEM education consultant, Mike Cargill, said: “
An MoU provides a very important framework. The beginning of it, actually getting together as parties, deciding on what's going to be included in there and why, is really, really important, so we all understand what we're in it for. We have then been able to monitor our progress as a company and our relationship with the university against the MoU. And now, as we reach the end of it, it's really important to acknowledge that it's been successfully delivered by all parties: Sofia Offshore Wind Farm, Newcastle University and the students, who are obviously at the heart of it all.”
At RWE, our education programmes are designed to encourage and support students into careers in offshore wind. Working with schools, colleges and universities is a key part of our long-term strategy, to create the workforce needed in the future.
